In Supt. Catherine Truitt’s newly released version of her biggest initiative, Operation Polaris 2.0, this past January, the word literacy is mentioned over 60 times.

It’s even a specific chapter in the 44 page report.

And it is a vital part of her DPI “North Star” graphic.

Go back to 2020 when the architect of Operation Polaris did an interview for FOX News where she was quoted as telling the producers of the segment that “between March and September (2020) students lost on average 50% in literacy and 70% for math.”

She was talking about “learning loss” due to the pandemic.

Listen for yourself. Click here for the link.

“50% loss in literacy.” One-half as literate as before.

Being literate is not just the ability to read and write. It goes much deeper than that. From Merriam-Webster:

“Versed in literature.” That’s interesting.

“Having knowledge or competence.” That’s interesting.

Literacy is not just attached to one class or discipline. In fact, when we require all juniors in public schools to take the ACT (and allow those scores which do not correspond to a tangible grade for students to be used in school report cards to demean schools and fuel “reforms”), we are measuring not their aptitude like the SAT; its a measure more of their literacy.

Their literacy in different subjects.

Is Operation Polaris and DPI defending the right for students to be literate in different subjects?

Take the “Personal Finance” class requirement for high schools.

When the bill to make this class mandatory was introduced in 2019, it seemed like a winner on the surface, but it doesn’t cover some of the glaring aspects of the personal finance challenges that many students would encounter.

• Systemic Poverty.
• Over 20% of the students in NC public schools are at or below poverty levels.
• Student Loan Debt.
• Racial disparities in economics.
• Refusal to expand Medicaid when it costs NC next to nothing.
• Why so many tax breaks are given to corporations that affects social services funding.

Did it ever talk about the concept of a minimum wage?

Seems like a willing obstacle to actually being literate. And Truitt is supposedly very keen on our students being literate!

Has DPI defended true historical literacy when we still are introducing gas-lit bills like this one?

That is another push to stop the teaching of anything that policy makers seem to remotely associate to Critical Race Theory in public schools.

The idea that we as public school educators must use a certain slant to present history in order to make all seem “equal” is rather seditiously ironic since the very body that screams “respect for ALL” is the same body that used racial lines to draw gerrymandered districts, incorporated a school grading system that systemically stigmatizes poverty, and tried passing a voter-ID law that was struck down because of its targeting of minorities.

Seems like a willing obstacle to actually being literate. And Truitt is supposedly very keen on our students being literate!

And has the former high school English teacher who became a chancellor for an online university ever defended teachers in this state for teaching texts that have come under challenges from a few, very loud parents who probably should check their students social media accounts and streaming choices before attacking books they never read?

If not, then she is being an obstacle to literacy.